Work of Art

by Monica Alexander

  “Hello,” Harper said, and my stomach tightened at hearing the sound of her voice. She was in Brandon’s room, and I didn’t like that.

  They already had a flirty relationship, and I didn’t like to think about them being alone together. The three of us had driven to Monterey in Brandon’s new BMW he’d just picked up that afternoon, and they’d joked and inadvertently flirted the whole way while I’d sat in the back and thought about my plight. It irritated me, and I’d be pissed if he slept with her.

  “Hey, it’s Ryan.”

  “Hi Ryan,” she said cheerfully.

  She been so nice to me ever since the night before, and it was slowly killing me.

  “How are you doing?” she asked, when I didn’t say anything else.

  I let out a long, slow breath. “I’m hanging in there, but I haven’t seen my parents yet. I’m sort of afraid that I’m going to go off on them as soon as I see them and ruin the whole night. And I sort of don’t care.”

  “Ryan, no,” she said softly.

  “Harper, I’m – I can’t – how could they do something like that?”

  “I don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense.”

  It was sadistic is what it was. And manipulative. And just fucking wrong.

  “I know, but it’s your wedding weekend. You can’t confront them. This weekend should be about you and . . . Trish.”

  I noticed it took her few seconds to say Trish’s name, almost as if it was uncomfortable for her, and I tried not to read into that.

  “You’re right. You’re right. It’s just sort of completely overtaking my thoughts right now.”

  “Then maybe you need something to take your mind off of what happened,” she suggested. “We can’t change the past.”

  She was right. She was completely right.”

  “Yeah, that’s why I was calling Brandon. I wanted to see if he wanted to grab a drink. Are you hanging out in his room?”

  “No, we’re sharing a room,” she said lightly, and the urge to growl in annoyance sort of took me by surprise.

  “Really? But you hardly know him.”

  “I know him well enough. Besides, if he was going to murder me in my sleep, he would have done it when I stayed with him in Boston,” she said, and again caught me by surprise.

  “I won’t murder her, but I might sleep with her,” Brandon called out from the background, and I gripped the phone tighter in my hand.

  “No, you won’t,” she responded, as if his notion was crazy, and it made me breathe a sigh of relief.

  “When did you visit him in Boston?” I asked, trying to interject myself in their friendly banter. They did the same thing during the whole car ride out to Monterey.

  “Um, like two weeks ago. I had to go back and settle my mom’s estate.”

  “Oh. I didn’t know that.”

  “Because I didn’t tell you,” she countered. “We weren’t exactly friends then.”

  Yeah, well, I was friends with Brandon then, and he didn’t tell me either. Asshole.

  “So we’re friends now?” I asked softly, instead of bitching about Brandon.

  “I think we are,” she said, just as softly.

  “Me too,” I said, and I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face.

  “Get your ass down here for a drink!” Brandon suddenly shouted.

  “Come hang out, Ry,” Harper insisted.

  “Alright,” I told her, not able to tell her no when she used my nickname. “I’ll be there soon. What’s your room number?”

  * * *

  Trish and I drove from the church where we had the rehearsal to the restaurant together. The mock ceremony had gone smoothly, and aside from having to be in the same room as my family, it hadn’t been unbearable. I just pushed what I’d learned and what I really wanted to say to them to the back of my mind and smiled my way through the hour.

  But the whole time I’d been distracted because Harper had been moving around the church with her high-tech digital camera attached to her eye. She’d photographed the entire event, and I so badly wanted to see her pictures. The one time she’d caught me looking at her, she’d lowered the camera and winked and smiled at me before she went right back to snapping pictures.

  I wasn’t sure my family had recognized her, and if they did, they hadn’t said anything, but I was waiting for them to lower the boom when they did. They would not be happy to see her.

  Trish and I were the last ones to arrive and were escorted back to the private room where our rehearsal dinner was being held. I immediately spotted my brother, John. I felt like he was my only ally, as I was pretty sure he hadn’t been in on what my parents and my sister had done. He was four years younger than me, so I doubted he’d been conspiring with them at age fourteen.

  Trish held tight to my hand as her friends descended on her, telling her how much they liked her dress and her shoes and her bag. And as I tried to tune out the screeching, my eyes found Harper across the room, standing next to Brandon, sipping champagne and very much looking like she belonged in the room. She was wearing a long-sleeved, short, bright green dress and nude heels that made her legs go on for days. And she was laughing at something Brandon was saying.

  She looked gorgeous, and seeing them together made me jealous as hell. I hated to admit it, but it did. Even though I knew nothing was going on – or at least I hoped. Who knew what would happen if they got drunk later.

  “Ryan, darling,” my mother said, suddenly descending on me and air kissing my cheek before I had the chance to pull away.

  “Hello Mother,” I said tightly, because all I really wanted to say to her were words that weren’t appropriate to say in polite company, so I kept my mouth shut.

  “Smile, dear, it’s a party.”

  And you broke up the best relationship I’d ever had and took away my chance of ever knowing my son, and he died, Mom. He died. Did you know that? And I wasn’t there for him, because I didn’t know he existed, you callous, self-centered, bitch.

  I forced a smile on my face.

  “Now come,” she said, addressing both Trish and me. “You two need to make the rounds and thank everyone for coming.”

  Then I watched her glare in Brandon’s direction and make a face like she’d tasted something awful, and I knew she’d finally recognized Harper. At least she didn’t say anything.

  Thirty minutes into cocktails I was talking to my brother when I looked up and saw my sister descending on Harper. She was alone, sipping champagne, and Lisa had a sneer on her face. I’d honestly been trying to avoid talking to my sister, outside of simple pleasantries, because I knew if given the opportunity, I’d likely go off on her too. She was just as culpable as my parents and had even less of a reason to betray me. I’d never done anything to her.

  “Shit,” I cursed, as I watched Lisa tap Harper on the shoulder.

  John looked up and followed my gaze. “Who is that?”

  “Harper Connelly,” I said, never taking my eyes off of her as I tried to figure out what Lisa was saying to her.

  I was afraid she’d repeat more of the hurtful things she’d said to Harper years earlier.

  “No shit,” John said, the surprise in his voice evident. “She’s hot as fuck.”

  Yeah, I know.

  “What’s she doing here?” he asked, practically drooling.

  “She’s Brandon’s date,” I told him, just as Harper’s smile faded.

  In three seconds I was across the room. “Hey,” I said cheerfully, and Harper looked at me in confusion. “What are we talking about?”

  “I was just saying hello to Harper,” Lisa explained snidely, as she took a sip of her white wine.

  My eyes involuntarily narrowed, and I felt my breathing get shallower. I was in serious danger of saying something I’d probably regret, but Harper’s infinitesimal shake of her head stopped me.

  “Lisa, James needs you,” I said instead, collecting myself with a few deep breaths that I hoped were unnoticeable.


  “For what?”

  “I don’t know. He’s your husband,” I snapped, and Lisa rolled her eyes.

  “There’d better not be an issue with the nanny,” she said, shaking her head before she turned to Harper. “You take care, Harper.”

  Then she walked away, the arrogance dripping from her every step. I knew I’d have to keep an eye on her or she’d likely try to talk to Harper again before the night was over.

  “What did she say to you?” I demanded.

  Harper shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I’m a big girl, Ryan, and your sister, I’m sorry to say, is a very small person.”

  “What did she say to you?” I repeated, the rage bubbling up inside me once again.

  “I’ll talk to you about it later,” she said calmly. “I do not want you getting upset and causing a scene and airing all of our dirty laundry in front of these people. There are some things in my life that I like to keep private. Tyler is one of them, and the fact that your family apparently sabotaged our relationship is another. This is not the time, nor the place, although if we were alone in a dark alley, I might have pummeled your sister. Just an FYI.”

  “Fine,” I grunted, knowing she was right. “Are you having a good time?”

  She chuckled. “You always did have the best manners, Ryan Carson. Yes, I’m having a good time with Brandon. He’s a fantastic date.”

  I noticed she didn’t say she was having a good time at the party, and I really couldn’t blame her. I wasn’t exactly having a good time, and I was one of the guests of honor.

  “I’m glad,” I said, the burning intensity I felt ebbing just a little.

  “Hey dude,” Brandon said then, coming back from wherever he’d gone. “What’s up?”

  “Nothing much. Just saying hi.”

  “Cool. So what are the plans for later after the stuffy folks go to bed?”

  “No plans,” I said, shrugging, and he just laughed. “What?”

  “Oh, there are plans.”

  “Whatever,” I said, not in the mood for anything he might have planned. It was the night before my wedding, and I needed to stay out of trouble.

  Brandon just chuckled again, and Harper looked at me sympathetically but with a smile on her face, so I knew he’d talked to her about what he was up to.

  Then I noticed Trish standing by herself across the room. I hated to leave her alone, so I beckoned her over with my hand. She smiled and crossed the room lithely.

  I put my arm around her, pulled her to my side and kissed her temple when she reached me. Then I looked at Harper, who was smiling passively at me, but there was a ghost of something in her eyes. I realized then what I was looking for, and I couldn’t believe I’d been hoping for a reaction to her seeing me with my fiancé. I was sick.

  “Hi Brandon,” Trish said politely, and I had to give her credit. She was giving him a chance.

  “Hi Trish. You look very nice,” he said, showcasing the manners I knew he had.

  “Thank you.” Then she turned to Harper. “Hi, I’m Trisha Spencer, Ryan’s fiancé.”

  It was then that I saw the briefest of reactions cross Harper’s face as Trish introduced herself as my fiancé, and I’m not sure what I was hoping to feel, but her reaction didn’t exactly make me feel great.

  “I’m Harper Connelly, Brandon’s date,” Harper said, sticking her hand out for Trish to shake. I noticed the edge of one of her butterfly tattoos when the sleeve of her dress inched up.

  “Harper’s the girl I ran into in the deli that day we were having lunch,” I reminded her, trying to be forthcoming.

  “Oh, your high school girlfriend,” Trish said, shaking her head. “You look so different.”

  Harper smiled. “I clean up well,” she joked, and I didn’t like that she felt like she had to say that.

  “I like your dress,” Trish said, and I was glad she was being so friendly.

  “Thank you,” Harper said graciously.

  “Wait, did you say your name was Harper Connelly?”

  Harper nodded. “Yes, I did.”

  “Are you an artist?”

  Harper smiled. “Yes, I am.”

  “Oh wow! It’s so amazing to meet you. I love your work.”

  “Oh, thank you,” Harper said, taken aback by the turn the conversation had taken.

  “No, really,” Trish gushed. “I’ve bought three of your paintings in the past six months. You are so talented.” Then she turned to me. “Ryan, you know the painting of Carmel in the living room and the abstract in the sitting room and the bright colored piece in the dining room?”

  I nodded, feigning ignorance. I knew exactly which pieces Harper had painted since I’d studied them for the past month, ever since I found out they were hers.

  “I love those paintings,” I told her.

  “Did you know Harper painted them?”

  I shook my head. “I had no idea,” I said honestly, because at the time Trish had purchased them, I didn’t know.

  I could feel Harper watching me with curiosity, and I think she was wondering why I hadn’t told her I had her work in my apartment.

  “Well, she did, and she’s amazing! And I can’t believe you know her. I think we should get a friends and family discount in the future.” I watched her playful gaze go to Harper.

  “Absolutely,” Harper said good-naturedly.

  “You really are amazing,” Trish gushed, reaching out hug Harper and completely catching her by surprise.

  “Trish!” Katherine said, suddenly coming up behind her, eyes alight. She leaned over and whispered in Trish’s ear, and Trish giggled.

  Then she turned to me. “Dinner is in five minutes, so we’re going to hit the ladies room,” she said, smiling at me.

  “Have fun,” I told her as Katherine dragged her away.

  “She’s adorable, Ryan,” Harper said honestly, and Brandon snorted. I saw her elbow him. “Congratulations.”

  “Thank you,” I said, gazing at her and wondering what she was thinking. I decided not to go there. “Did you get any good shots earlier?”

  I noticed she hadn’t brought her camera into the dinner.

  She nodded, the hint of a smile on her lips. “I think I did.”

  Across the room, I noticed my mother glaring at me, so I figured I’d put some distance between Harper, Brandon and myself. No need to add any fuel to the fire. I’d do that later.

  “I think I’m going to go get another drink,” I told them.

  “Looking forward to later tonight,” Brandon jeered as I walked away and ignored him.

  I made it halfway across the room before Lisa grabbed my arm and dragged me outside of the banquet room.

  “What?” I demanded through clenched teeth.

  “What the hell is Harper Connelly doing here?” she demanded

  “She’s Brandon’s date.”

  “Seriously?”

  I nodded.

  “I saw you talking with her. Are you two friends or something?” Lisa asked, the panic in her voice apparent.

  “Yeah, we are.”

  Lisa tried to hide the horror she must have been feeling, but she wasn’t doing a very good job of it. I smiled, just because I knew it would freak her out.

  “And I know all about your little confrontation ten years ago and how you called her a whore,” I said in my nicest, quietest voice so no one nearby would expect anything was amiss. “And if I find out it was you who forged my name and gave up my rights to my son, we’re done.”

  “It was Mom and Dad and Maura Connelly. It was their idea. I didn’t have anything to do with it,” Lisa said quickly, and my eyebrows shot up.

  “Harper’s mother was involved?”

  My hands balled into fists by my sides. Harper and I never suspected her mother had any part in what we’d assumed happened. She was going to flip out. I shook my head, figuring I’d deal with that later. I had more pressing issues in front of me.

  “Yes, she was,” Lisa said, looking like she was in pa
in. “Mom and Dad paid her fifty thousand dollars to make sure Harper was out of the picture.”

  My eyes narrowed, and I clenched my fists even tighter. Harper’s mom had sold her out for fifty thousand dollars. Unbelievable.

  “I can’t believe you would do that to me, Lisa,” I hissed.

  “I didn’t!” she insisted. “I just told them, and then they did everything else. I didn’t have anything do with it. I swear, Ryan. I told them they shouldn’t contact their lawyer, but they wouldn’t listen.”

  “Yeah, but you knew about it. You knew Harper kept the baby.” Lisa didn’t say anything. She just looked at me, her eyes filling with tears. “You fucking knew. And after you saw how upset I was when I thought she had an abortion, you found out it was a lie, and you didn’t tell me. You didn’t tell me that I had a son, and you knew I had no idea,” I hissed, sure my face was turning red, but I didn’t care.

  Lisa nodded her head quickly. “I’m sorry, Ryan. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done it, but Mom told me it was best for you not to know. She said they were doing it for you.”

  “Like hell they were!” I growled.

  “They were,” Lisa insisted. “Mom knew your life would be harder if you had a kid, so she and Dad came up with the whole fake email thing to make sure Harper didn’t have the baby.”

  Was she listening to herself? Did she hear how crazy that sounded?

  “Lisa, that’s ridiculous. You’re making it sound like they meddled in some insignificant thing, but it wasn’t insignificant. This was a girl I loved, who I planned to marry, and it was my child! And they sabotaged everything. All these years you all knew I had a kid out there, and none of you told me. That’s sick and twisted, and you know it.”

  I was fuming mad and inching closer to her with every word I spoke, and she was leaning away from me.

  “Ryan, they had a point. It would have been really hard for you and Harper to make it, and I know you’re looking back now and thinking that it would have been great, but having kids is really hard, and it puts a strain on your relationship. You have no idea what it’s like, and I did. I’d just had Maddie a few months before I saw Harper, and James and I had been fighting a lot, and we were talking about getting divorced, and I kept thinking that marrying him and having a baby was a mistake, and I didn’t want you to make that same mistake. I was trying to protect you.”